Resolve: A SB Story
by ronko45
Summary: Rei and Shin, saddened by their loves departure leave to find them; Goh and Gai, under the command of Zeus, have to stop them. What's more is that Zeus' throne is being challenged by his own son! Judas/Shin; Luca/Rei; Goh/Gai.
1. Chapter 1

Resolve

Chapter 1

-X-

Shin could remember the day like it was yesterday, mostly because the scene kept replaying itself in his head incessantly. It had been like his whole existence had lost meaning, because the moment his lover had gone away, nothing was the same. He looked at the world with such sad eyes now, his music played in sad tunes. On some days he couldn't even take it upon himself to play his beautiful hand-made harp, mostly because it reminded him of his first encounter with Judas, and the promise of an in-home concert. That promise had been the beginning of the nights he and Judas would spend together, listening to the chords of the harp float through the air and into their ears, but the same couldn't be said for Judas anymore; he was now a solitary note just waiting for someone to pluck the strings to let him free once again.

The same could be said for Rei. Not a day had passed that everything he saw reminded him of his beloved Luca. Whenever he went outside, he would look into the sky and remember a time where both he and Luca soared above the clouds, together, with only the flapping of their wings in the air. If it wasn't that, then as he stood at the window of his room, looking at the forest that encompassed his house, he would hear the songs of the birds and be reminded of the freedom that Luca didn't have, the one he'd probably never receive.

It had been only three days since the fateful battle with Zeus and three days since Judas's and Luca's betrayal to the Six Saint's Beasts. Neither of them could have fathomed such outright revolt, but it wasn't like it wasn't seen. Both Judas and Luca had expressed their concerns about the growing condition of Heaven, even Goh, but that didn't mean he was going to go to war with the god in an effort to change the system! Their six man team had dwindled to four, but that four was feeling only like two.

Shin and Rei- since that very day their loves were deported from Heaven and sent into the fiery depths of Hell- had never been the same. Goh and Gai had given the men their space, knowing how hard it must have been to those two especially. They were hurting, of course, but Goh knew how close they were to the exiled; it was not at all the same in his and Gai's case. Tonight, he decided, was the last night. He wanted to help Shin and Rei get over the loss, no matter how hard it may have seemed. He knew Zeus wasn't going to let them wither away for the rest of their lives, and Goh knew that if he got to them first, he could save them from Zeus's prude methods, not to mention, they were still Saint's Beasts, protectors of all animals and humans. If they weren't at the top of their game when they were called for duty things could only get worse.

Gai walked into the room and went straight for Goh who was out on his balcony, looking over the palace. "Goh," he said, turning so that he was facing the house and his back was on the railing, "what are we going to do about the others? They seem really sad. Rei went back to his house, and I can't find Shin anywhere."

"Gai, I've decided that we need to get them back on track. I know that it's hard but they have to deal with it. How will the other angels deal with this if they knew their protectors were in this much of a mess?"

"But Goh…" said Gai trying not to catch his eyes. He shook his yellow hair and stopped what he was going to say. "How will you do that?"

Goh had wanted Gai to finish what he was saying, but he thought it better to wait until Gai was ready to tell him; it seemed important. "Tomorrow morning we will go and get them and make them understand. We have a job to do and no matter how tough it is, they have to deal with it differently. They cannot lock themselves up and hide out all day."

"I guess you're right Goh." Gai turned to Goh and looked him in the eye. Intense emotion had been stirring up inside of him the moment he stepped foot upon the balcony. "I just want us to be like we were back then, before we became the Beasts, and…" Goh walked up to the man and placed his hand on Gai's head.

"Gai, I know, but this is the reality of it. We only have our memories now." Gai had always been the care-free one of the group, so it pained Goh to see the man worrying so much. "Let's go eat some food; I'm sure that'll cheer you up."

"And can I have some fried chicken too… Rei would never let me have that…"

Goh smiled at Gai. "Of course Gai, you can have whatever you like." Gai, happy, and completely changed of heart, ran out of the room to the kitchen on the lower floor.

Rei looked out into the sky noticing the orange and yellow hues of the setting sun. He moved from the window, and paced back and forth. The songs of the birds had long since quieted and the only thing that could remind him of his pain was darkened (it held no real meaning to fly in the nighttime to him). Rei went through his closet and brought out his cloak. He had been thinking something, something crazy, but it was time he finally went through with it.

Shin threw the harp onto his bed. Never before had he been a violent person, but today his music had all but threw him off a cliff. It was still sad, and no matter how sad it was, he would always be sent back to the time when Judas listened to his songs. He couldn't stand it anymore; something had to be done about this… this feeling that kept coming back to him every time he thought of Judas. He knew it was crazy, and he knew everything would be lost should he get caught, but it was something he was willing to risk.

Rei walked through the forest, careful not to be seen by any of the angels that chose to walk there that same night as he. If he was spotted all would be lost, and he was sure that nothing would stop him from getting to where he was going. He continued through the silence, trees rustling from the wind, telling him to go back. It wasn't an easy journey to the Tears of Life spring, especially since it had the power to bring an angel to the lower world, to Earth. That was nothing for Rei though, he was on a mission, and he was going to see it through.

Rei felt the wind once more, but this time it brought the scent of water with it. Gasping he started to run; he was close by. After all of the treacherous obstacles he had faced, he was finally in front of the spring. He cried out loud, outwardly smiling his content. As he approached, he heard a branch crack behind him, and he went stiff.

"What are you doing here?" Rei recognized the voice as an old one, one he hadn't heard for what seemed like forever. It was of course only three days, but three was long enough. Rei turned around to greet Shin, and as Shin walked up to him, Rei saw him at his worst he's ever seen him before.

Three days ago, Shin had been a well-kept and beautiful angel but now, Shin looked a mess. His eyes had been red from his crying, and his hair that was usually tied back in a bow was down, unkempt, waving as the wind blew by. Rei smiled; he probably looked just as bad too. "Shin," he started, what are you doing here?"

"I asked you first Rei. Are you planning on going back to Luca?"

Rei was surprised. "And let me guess, if you're here then that must go for you too. You wanted to see Judas too."

Shin could neither confirm nor decline. They stood in silence, neither of them knowing what to do at this moment in time. "Shin, I miss Luca. He was everything to me, and…"

"You don't need to explain yourself Rei. I completely understand what you are going through. The one you love was taken from you and you have spent these last days deciding whether to mourn or do something." Closing his eyes to the coolness of the night, he pushed his glasses up on his nose. "You chose to do something, just like I did."

"Shin…" said Rei with a smile.

"Let's go, we might as well go together…"

"We can get in real trouble Shin, think about what you are doing."

Shin smiled at his companion and took a bottle full of the spring's water. "I've come this far Rei, so please, let's go."

"Right," he said taking hold of Shin's hand. Shin took a sip of the water and in seconds, they were transformed into a small yellow ball that floated to the highest part of the sky, before falling through the clouds to the human world.

It was dark in the human world when the angels landed in the clearing. They were far from everything. There was nothing for miles, and what was worse, they didn't know exactly where they were, let alone how they were going to get to Hell, or break the seal, if that was possible. Rei and Shin walked a few feet to the west before looking around for any hint of magical power. "Shin, don't you know this stuff best? Do you even know how we can open the gates to Hell?"

"Actually I've been researching that, and I only came across one thing in a book."

"What was that?" asked Rei intrigued. They were still walking west from where they had landed, yet even after about what seemed an hour, they still could not find any sign of life or a town or a village.

"Supposedly there is a cave, though I don't know where… I'd have to ask someone about the whereabouts or the details of the legend…" He shook his head and looked at Rei. "I'm sorry, but I don't know where its location is. This'll be a tough job, but we have to finish this before Zeus finds out."

"If he finds out we know what'll happen."

"Yeah, hopefully we can avoid that."

-O-

Goh hurried down the steps the next morning, Gai at his sides. They both ran from the front door, racing to the edge of the palace. "Haha, I won!" said Goh.

"That's not fair, Goh, you are already faster than me."

"Oh but I wasn't using all my speed; you were just unusually slower than usual!" Goh jumped out of the way as Gai attempted to hit him.

"Why you…" he said his fangs growing on his face.

"Hey, your fangs… now hurry over to Rei and bring him back here. I'll get Shin."

"You got it Goh. I'll have Rei back here in no time."

Gai ran to the forest and followed the path to Rei's house. The path was etched in his mind. He had been going over Rei's for as long as he could remember; they were good friends, even if Rei loved picking on him. The house was a small log cabin type of house. It was surrounded with flowers and trees, and gave the best view of wandering animals. When Gai reached the house, he saw the closed window. "Isn't Rei here? Usually it'd be open…" He went to the door and knocked. "Hey Rei," he yelled, "open up! Let me talk to you." When the first bout of knocking went unanswered, he kept up the slamming. "Rei?" He moved his hand to the doorknob and twisted it, shocked to find that it was unlocked. "Rei?" he asked, concern tinting his voice.

Rei was nowhere to be found when Gai arrived inside. The usually clean and kept house of Rei was a mess. Books were spewed every which way, and food had not only littered the kitchen and the table, but also the living room too! Gai knew Rei loved to cook for all emotional aspects of his life, but this was overdoing it. Pies and cakes filled the stove, while meat and bread lined the counters. Gai went to a cake and cut himself a piece. "Mmm, this is good. Rei!" he called once more. "I'm going to finish all your food!" Taking the rest of the cake with him, and a few others in a bag, Gai hurried back to the palace to tell Goh the news.

When Goh arrived at Shin's house, he first saw the harp on the bed. This was the same hand-made harp that he knew was so special to the angel. He had seen him work on it for so many days, and seeing it carelessly thrown onto the bed told him something was wrong. Goh looked around the house for anymore signs of where Shin could've gone. He went to the man's library. It wasn't as grand as the library in the palace, but it held its own compared to the size of the small house. Books were set out over the table and interestingly enough, they were all spell and magic books. Goh picked one of them up, one that had been left on the top, and read the open page. Goh needn't read the whole thing, the moment he saw 'Hell' and 'gate', he grew concerned. The angel ran out of the house and back to the palace. Hopefully Zeus didn't know about this, but that was a long shot.

Goh made it back to the palace just as Gai entered into the yard. His face was covered in white confectionery, and his mouth full of the cake. He mumbled something that Gai figured he already knew. "Rei's gone too huh?" he said. They sat on the bench that stood in front of the fountain after walking into the garden. "So is Shin."

"Where do you think they went?" Gai had already eaten his fare share of deserts, but talking out loud about his missing friends, caused his hunger to be taken away. "I miss them."

Goh stood up, sitting closer to Gai. "I know Gai, and that's not the worst part."

"There's a worse part?"

"Yeah," Goh nodded. "Why do you think they left?"

"Judas and Luca…"

"Exactly. We have to find them before…" Goh heard footsteps coming toward them and he instantly shut his mouth. Pandora stood with a smile in front of the duo. "Pandora," Goh said with unhidden distrust.

"Goh, Gai. Master Zeus would like to see you." Pandora turned away.

"You don't think…" asked Gai concerned. He got up to follow Pandora when Goh stopped him.

"You're a mess Gai," he said. Goh leaned in close to the angel, who backed up a bit.

"What are you doing?"

"Your face is a mess," Goh said calmly, "you can't see Zeus like that."

"There's no napkin. How are you going to wipe my face?"

"I'll find a way Gai." Goh leaned forward and brought his hand to the angel's messy face. His finger traced the confection on his face, gathering the bigger pieces to him. He put his finger in his mouth, and licked the sugary goodness clean. "There, all better." Gai blushed deeply, walking ahead of Goh quickly. Goh laughed at his companion.

Goh and Gai stepped into Zeus's chamber, bowing before him as he spoke. "My Saint's Beasts," said Zeus, "it seems you have been reduced to only two." Gai and Goh looked at each other, saying nothing. "I know about Shin and Rei, and I have to say, you know what happens next."

"Zeus please," tried Goh, "we can get them back, they don't have to…"

"Be quiet. It must be done and you know it. We have already lost two of our Beasts to Hell, and now two others had gone after them. We cannot allow them to open the gates to Hell, so you two, will have to stop them."

"But Zeus we can't kill Shin and Rei!" yelled Gai, "They are our friends!"

"I don't care what they are to you. They will destroy the balance of the world, and I cannot allow that. You two will go down to Earth and stop them." Goh nodded reluctantly as Gai remained silent; they walked out into the hall.

"Goh, are we really going to kill them…?"

"We have no choice right now Gai, we have no choice."

Zeus looked at his orb and sighed as Heros walked into the chamber soon after Gai and Goh. "What is it?" he asked his son.

"Father, I don't think that what you chose was the best course of action." Heros looked at Zeus, waiting for a response.

"What do you propose Heros? I choose what I want my Beasts to do, and I will not have any more of them turning to betray me."

"Father, you don't understand. They aren't going to betray you. They went down there because they wanted to be with their friends. They aren't trying to let them go! They are just going to be with them!"

"You can't say that for sure, and I am not going to take any chances."

"You…" said Heros seething, "I will take the throne from you and make Heaven right. You have made the worst of mistakes and when the time comes, I will take over." Heros walked out of his father's chamber. Zeus slammed his hand down on his throne. How dare Heros say that to him? Zeus understood exactly what Heros was saying though, because the events that befell him those days ago, had really disturbed the balance on Heaven, and he knew that if he didn't get things on the right track, he'd be taken off the throne, and by force if it happened to come to that. He could only hope that his Beasts made it in time for him to disperse all the negative feelings that were building up in his body.

He called for Pandora. "I want you to follow them, and make sure they finish the job. Take Cassandra with you."

"Yes your highness."

-O-

Heros watched the two remaining Saint's Beasts in front of him. They had just drunk the Spring of Life's water and were glowing with rainbow lights. They disappeared only a few moments later, when he decided to come on out. "I can't let them do this; it isn't right." He produced his own water from the spring, and readied to down it when Cassandra walked up to him.

"I'm sorry to disrupt you sir," he said with a smile, "but the Goddess was wishing to see you." Heros sighed and went on his way to his mother. Pandora appeared soon after Heros had left the scene. "Are we leaving now?" asked Cassandra.

"Yes, we have to make sure the Beasts do what Zeus wants."

-O-

Shin and Rei had walked far into the deserted land until finally, they came across a village. They ran into the village as if they had been wandering for days on end with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. They were invited to dine with the villagers, and offered a nice bath and fresh food and water. The duo ate to their hearts content, and bathed until they were also fresh. It all felt good, but they had a reason for staying as long as they did. As another woman put in front of them a plate of food, Shin asked if they had access to a library. The woman smiled at him and pointed to a building across from them.

Shin and Rei, the moment they set foot inside of the grandiose library, searched for the book that would get them to open Hell's gate. It was a legend, Shin remembered, but all the legend and folklore books he had found had nothing to do with that sort of thing. Rei too, was at a loss, and he searched with all his heart. "I can't find anything at all," said Rei, "what about you?"

"Nothing, I'm at a complete loss." Rei sat next to Shin and put his hands on his shoulder. Nothing was said between the two, but they looked at each other and regained the confidence to search again. As they got up, they heard a voice behind them.

"So the pure and innocent Saint's Beasts are looking for a way to get into Hell huh?" Shiva sat down at the table and looked through the books. "I know how to get to Hell."

Rei and Shin gasped. "Really, are you able too?" asked Rei.

"Of course, you know I left with Judas. I am able to transition between the living world and Hell at free will. I could help you if you want."

"We'd be able to see Luca and Judas, Shin."

Shiva stood up and walked to the door. "Follow me and you'll be able to see them."

-O-

Goh looked around and noticed the village out into the distance. "Gai, get on my back, we have to get to them, and I'm not going alone. We both have to be there to talk to them."

"I don't need you to–"

Goh cut him off. "I don't have time for this." He pulled Gai into his hands and ran at full speeds toward the village. All the while Gai had taken it upon himself to whine and complain to Goh. When they reached the village, they asked around if two men had come around before them. The villagers told them what they wanted to know, leading them to the library. As they approached, Goh saw three angels walking away from the library.

"Shin, Rei," yelled Goh.

"Rei, Shin," yelled Gai. They ran to their friends, but the others had only started to run away from the yelling duo. Goh hadn't wanted either of them to get away, so grabbing Gai again, and holding him bridal style, Goh reached the three rouge angels.

-O-

Heros entered the Goddess's chambers and kneeled before her as she waited for him to right himself. "Heros, my son," she said in an angelic voice, "you were about to go and follow the Beasts were you not?"

"Mother," he argued, "I cannot stand by and watch Father destroy Heaven any longer. He cannot rule, and many have noticed his ways are no longer pure!"

"Heros…"

"Mother…"

"I believe you are correct." Heros looked at his mother. He was sure there would at least be some form of disputation, but she too wanted what was best for Heaven; she always had. "Long before Judas and Luca became the Saint's Beasts, they had always wondered about the standing of Heaven and the roles Zeus had in that forming. They were always doubtful about the ways your father took and finally they broke, taking matters into their own hands. I know if this goes on the way it is, things will only replay themselves, and the whole circle will start again. I want you to take over your father's throne, and you cannot be on Earth to accomplish that."

"Mother I understand, but I sense those angels will need my help."

"When they need help, you will sense it, and you will go to their aid. Until then, you must work to take the throne from your father. He knows you are a threat and will work to defeat you; be careful my son."

"But what about you? If he truly knows everything, then won't he know that you were the one to help me? I don't want to get you in trouble…"

The Goddess laughed and walked to her son Heros. His hair was white like Zeus's, but that was the only thing he had gotten from his father. He took her kindness, and her general appearance, as well as her sense of duty. "You don't worry about me. I've been around your father long enough to know how he thinks. He wouldn't dare hurt me, but you, he can't stand someone taking what he thinks is rightfully his."

-O-

Shiva snarled at the two men who came flying over to them at amazing speeds. When Goh stopped, Gai and Rei, though usually sour to each other, couldn't help but to hug. "Rei, I missed you. Shin…"

"What are you guys doing?" said Goh getting to the point.

"We need to see them, Goh, please understand," said Rei with a desperate look.

"Look, I understand, but you can't just abandon all you have done. What about the Saint's Beasts? Your duty?"

"Goh," said Shin keeping his face to the horizon. He couldn't stand looking at either one of them right now. He too missed them, but Judas meant too much to him; he couldn't give up after getting this far. "You don't understand."

Shin pulled Rei and took Shiva by the arms and hurried in the direction they were heading towards. They would've gotten farther down the road if Goh hadn't stopped them.

"You know why we're here, and you know what we don't want to do…" Rei looked between Goh and Gai. Once upon a time he said the same thing to Luca, but it didn't matter. Luca still left him there in Heaven all alone.

"We know, Goh, and we are ready for you. We will not back down in our mission. We will see Luca and Judas," screamed Rei ready to attack.

Goh also got into his stance, and when he started to move, Gai stopped him. "No!" Shiva took this as a chance, and pulled the two angels forward with him. Goh tried to go after them, but Gai still held him in place. Goh broke free of Gai too late, they were already gone.

"Gai what the hell were you thinking?!" Gai avoided Goh's eyes and fell onto the ground. He looked on the verge of crying. Goh lightened his approach. "Why did you do that?"

"Goh…" The way Gai was talking had gotten Goh worried.

"What is it?"

"They have a point Goh! I understand how they feel!" Goh walked up to the downed Angel of the Earth and patted his back.

"What are you talking about?"

"Rei and Shin… I know how they feel!"

"You know how they feel? About what?" Gai looked straight at Goh and smiled sadly. He lifted his hands to Goh's face and caressed his cheeks. "What is it Gai?"

"If I ever lost you I wouldn't know what to do…" Goh had barely heard what Gai had said mostly because it was a soft murmur.

"Gai… I would never leave you, and you would never lose me. Not on my watch." Gai blushed and looked away from Goh, but he was truly excited at the notion of Goh and him always being together. Goh laughed and brought Gai to face him. Gai got an even darker shade of red as he waited for Goh to make his move. Goh smirked at Gai's expectancy, and ruffled his hair as he got up to follow the angels. "Get up Gai, we can't go back until we find them."

"Goh, you jerk!" said Gai baring his fangs at the dual eye-colored angel.

-O-

Shiva led the two Saint's Beasts to a cave that stood only a few miles of the outskirts of the village. They entered the darkened and damp cavern, following Shiva until they hit a dead end. "Shiva," said Shin, "where are we?"

"We, my good sir, are at the entrance to Hell's Gate!" As he said this, lights of all sorts shone brightly in the cave. Tribal engravings were revealed and they moved as the light shone brighter and brighter. The marks began to swirl before the three angels and finally, when they began to slow, a hole appeared in the wall of the cave. Dark energy shot out at them the moment they saw the hole appear. The opening grew bigger and bigger until it was about a size for them to fit through. Taking the lead ahead of Shin and Rei, Shiva led the angels to exactly who they wanted to see.

Judas and Luca were sitting on their stone thrones, watching the fiery flames of Hell flicker to and fro in front of them. They were bored in this life; there was nothing better to do than to sit around and watch their subjects as they did their work. The door opened, and Judas turned to see Shiva walking out. He was about to ask him something when all voice had died away from his mouth. Luca must've felt the same way because he too, was standing next to Judas wide-eyed.

Shiva smiled and introduced the angels, as if they didn't already know each other. Shiva knew that Judas loved Shin, and it was only part of his plan to get Shin to be here. If things played out in his favor, his goal may be met.

Luca walked over to Rei as if he hadn't believed it was possible to see the man again. He touched the man's deep purple hair before whispering his name. "Rei…"

"Luca," said Rei looking into his eyes. It had been so long since they looked at each other like that, and it felt good to the both of them to have the feeling envelop them.

"Shin," asked Judas jumping off of the stone throne and in front of the blue-haired angel. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you Judas… I just couldn't…"

"Rei, you too?" asked Luca, He said nothing, but contrary to their expected reunion, they were met with furious yells.

"How could you do something like that?!" yelled Judas, talking to the both of them now. "We were sent to Hell for what we did, and you guys had made your decision up in Heaven!"

"Judas, we know we made our decision," said Shin placing his hand on his heart, "but you never gave us a choice. Why would you leave us? How could we choose when we knew what you were doing was wrong?!"

"Then if you knew it was wrong, what are you doing here?!"

"We realized," said Rei, standing beside Shin, "that we had cared about you more than Heaven. Heaven wasn't the same with out the two of you and we just couldn't continue living like that!"

Never before had Luca heard this from Rei or Judas from Shin for that matter. They sighed. "Alright, you saw us, now leave. Hell is no place for two pure angels." Shin and Rei stood their ground.

"We came all this way and almost fought our friends. You cannot expect us to just go back!" Luca looked at Judas. He would usually know what to do at a time like this.

"Fine, but don't say we didn't warn you." Judas walked over to his throne, and Shin followed after him, sitting right underneath him as if the spot had been made for him. "We aren't the same people you knew in Heaven and things have already changed." Shin could tell in his voice, as well as his eyes, that things have changed, but he didn't care; he was with his Judas.

"We understand," said Rei taking his place next to Luca, "we came here to be with you, not stop you."

Shiva had slipped away after the silence had begun. He truly hated that Shin had come around and taken Judas's attention from him, especially since when he was the only capable henchman, he had all time to spend with Judas… whenever Luca wasn't around. He walked away to his own place just waiting for the next mission. Shin and Rei, he knew, were nice angels and they'd never be able to participate in the acts that Judas and Luca participated in. If anything, it'll show the alpha angels how useless the beta angels were to them, and when that happens, Shiva will have Judas all too himself once more.

Judas and Luca hadn't entirely said their truest feelings when they saw the men walking behind Shiva. Of course they were glad to have their loves by their side, but they never wanted for them to see the evil that had grown in their hearts. As much as they wanted to stop what they were already planning to do, they couldn't. It had taken days to plan and it was a big step in fulfilling Lucifer's earlier goal: getting the angels to Hell, since Hell was truly a _real_ paradise.

When hoards of demons kneeled before the two angels, Shin and Rei exchanged confused glances. Judas stood up and directed the demons to Shiva, who opened the door, and let them into the world. "Go and take over the village; show them the path to paradise."

-X-

A/N: that was just the first long butt chapter of this story. I'm sorry if they were OOC, but I believe that this was actually on point! I think I did well with this chapter, including the details and etc…


	2. Chapter 2

Resolve

Chapter 2

-X-

Gai and Goh were back at the village they had caught Shin and Rei leaving, sitting in a tree, watching the stars and moon. They were both silent, not saying a word about their other companions. Goh looked down to the ground and sneered. Cassandra and Pandora were standing underneath the branch, looking up at them. "Look alive Gai," said Goh jumping down. Gai looked to where Goh did, and jumped down after him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh I don't know, does Zeus need to know that you guys didn't do what he asked?" Goh twitched. "I didn't think so."

"We know how to deal with our friends."

"Let's hope that you do. Zeus can be pretty impatient…"

"We'll deal with it!" yelled Goh pulling Gai away with him. Pandora and Cassandra stayed behind, watching them as they walked away. When they were a good distance, Goh dropped Gai to the floor, and punched a tree; he was really furious. "I can't believe this."

"Goh, what are we going to do? We can't fight them, and now Pandora is here to tell Zeus if we do other than what he said…"

"I know. We just have to look for them again, and convince them, or," he said looking straight into Gai's eyes, "we have to go to the source of their reasoning…"

Gai scratched his head. "You want us to talk to Judas and Luca if we can't get the others back?"

"That's the gist of it."

"How are you planning on doing that Goh; how can we even get to Hell?"

"I don't—" Just as the man was about to talk, they heard a scream coming from the village. Smoke had risen into the dark sky only adding to the dread that overcame the two as they hurried over to the area where the smoke was most prominent.

Shiva laughed loudly, commanding the demons from the shadows as they attacked the humans. The gruesome creatures took off from where they had marched into the village, surrounding it in a full circle, and then from there, laying waste. Houses were set on fire, burning brightly in the dark night. The demons continued to the next set of houses, and laid waste to those as well.

Goh dropped Gai, and they both went on their way to help all creatures that they could. Goh saw two of the demons flying up into the air, mouths wide open as more flames were about to leave their mouths. He jumped up into the air, extending his legs and kicking them into oblivion. Another pair had started to chase after him in the air; he fell to the floor, leading them away from the escaping humans so that he could get a better attack on them.

Gai ran around the village, hearing the cries of the animals and humans as the fires flames grew more out of control. The flames flickered in the night, taking even more earth and land with it. Two dogs were battling a demon that had already killed one of their pups. Gai's fangs grew, and he ran forward, attacking the demon. He told the dogs to get out of there, when he went on, looking for more victims.

Shiva smiled as the last four demons finished burning the last of the village, flames following after them as they met up in the middle of village. "Things are going as planned." The angel disappeared from the shadows, heading back to Judas.

Goh and Gai, had put out the last of the fires, and had saved the best of what they could've. Back again in the tree on the outskirts of the village, Goh couldn't help but to feel helpless. "We have no choice now… they had to have known…"

"But they said they weren't going to stop them, remember. They were only going to be beside them."

"If they are going to be beside, that means they are willing to fight for their safety. I fear we have no choice anymore Gai. We have to do what Zeus says, if anything, for the safety of the world."

Gai looked away from Goh, not able to even imagine trying to kill his friends if it truly came time for that. What were they going to do? he wondered as he looked back up at the sky.

-O-

Pandora entered Zeus's chamber, bowing deeply. "Zeus, I have news for you. I'm sure you already know, but Goh and Gai have chosen to go after their friends, in order to keep the world in peace."

"Good, now one last thing Pandora, before you leave. Find my son, and make sure, that he doesn't ever get near this chamber."

"Yes, my Lord, whatever you please." Pandora stood up, and left the room just as the Goddess walked in. "Afternoon Goddess."

"Good afternoon Pandora."

Zeus spoke once Pandora had left. "What do you want?" he asked irritably.

"Zeus, I have spoken with Heros, and he believes…"

"I know that you have spoken with the boy. He will not get this throne. I know you want to help him accomplish his goal…"

"Please hear everything that I have to say Zeus. Heros, your son, only wants what's best for the angels, Heaven, and the people on Earth. Things are not going to go your way if they continue like this." All throughout the conversation her voice had stayed steady and calm, unlike Zeus'. The moment it was his turn to talk, he grew angry, and full of rage.

"I hear you out and this is what you have to say to me! I will have Heaven okay, and no one will take it from me. If they do, or try to, it will be on my deathbed."

"Zeus," said the Goddess walking out with sympathetic eyes, "your son is ready for that. I hope you are too."

-O-

Judas and Luca moved Rei and Shin together on one bed as they sleep soundly, peacefully. "So what did you gather from them," asked Judas looking back at them; Luca was able to tell people's deepest feelings by touching them.

"Nothing that they didn't tell us. They truly only wanted to see us, and that's it. They are willing to face betrayal so long as we are by their sides." Luca faced them too, sighing. "What are we going to do? They can't handle what we do… they are pure…"

"I know, but we'll be in Heaven soon enough. They'll choose their path when they see just how far we are willing to go to keep our ways true. So long as Zeus is on the throne, we will keep fighting him." Judas looked toward the small hole that appeared on the wall and waited until Shiva had fully stepped inside of Hell. "So how did it go?" Luca walked away from the two.

"It went well Judas. Just like you said, the engraving is set and we are ready to go into village at your orders."

"Good work Shiva," said Judas patting him on the shoulder. Shiva smiled and blushed a little before turning red with anger. Shin had stepped up behind Judas, waiting for the two to finish their conversation. Shiva watched Judas' eyes turn soft as he turned to the blue haired angel. Shiva moved away from the two of them, hating Shin with all of his being.

Shin looked up into Judas' mysterious eyes, and broke. He hugged the angel, clutching onto the man tightly as he cried his heart out. "Judas…" he said sadly. The red-haired angel held him close, listening to the voice he hadn't heard for the longest. How he missed the gentle touches of the angel, the beautiful music that would be played for only him. He felt Shin lift his head, and he did too, looking him straight in the eye.

"Judas…" Shin knew, if anything, that this was the time that he told Judas what was on his mind. Their reunion had not gone as planned. The angels had only told them that they weren't able to do anything about their plan and they had never talked about what had happened yet. Shin wanted to know; he needed to know. "Why did you just leave us behind?"

Judas looked at the gentle angel, trying his best to keep his emotions intact. "Shin, please understand..."

"No," yelled Shin, grabbing Judas's garments even tighter, "I can't understand. You know how I felt about you, but even so… you still left, didn't even include us in whatever you decided!"

"Shin, we couldn't have!"

"And why not?" said another voice. Judas looked over to the bed and saw Rei, clutching the sheets tightly, trying his best not to burst into tears. He looked from Judas to Luca, waiting for one of them to answer his question.

"Rei, we did what we knew how to," answered Luca.

"And what was that?!" yelled Rei, "that you guys knew how to fight?"

Judas looked at the both of them, shaking his head. "No, it wasn't like that. We knew whatever we planned would put us out of Heaven and we didn't want to involve you guys, any of you."

Shin hugged Judas tighter, and Rei got up and ran to Luca. The men stood there holding their loves as they cried out their deepest feelings.

"Judas…" said Shin.

"Luca…" said Rei, looking the man in his eyes. Judas and Luca looked at the men in their arms.

"Don't ever do that again." Judas and Luca smiled as they pressed Shin and Rei closer to them.

It was later that night and Judas walked back in forth in front of Luca, staring out at their minions as they got ready for the next part of the plan. "What are we going to do Judas?" asked Luca.

"You know we can't just stop the plan. We have to save the angels from the oppression of Zeus and his despicable ways." They looked back to the demons and nodded. Yes, whatever they were planning had to be done, and it would be done, very, very soon.

-O-

Shiva walked away with a malicious look on his face, still unable to comprehend why Judas would waste his time with that useless angel, especially when he, Shiva, was a better fighter than Shin. Shiva walked along a trail that he had recently discovered, and continued on all the way to the end of it. He saw a cavern, and he entered it, slowly, calling out to the inhabitant.

"Why do you come here again? Didn't I tell you to stay away?" Shiva bowed to the man, sitting on the rock, staring up at the ceiling. He had found the man some months ago in the dark confines of the cave. He was surprised to see him here, but Shiva could tell why he had gone to Hell and not Heaven; animals and animal spirits usually went straight to Heaven. His hatred and his lust for revenge only made him a good candidate for the underground world, and even to this day he could only wait and hope to get the angel back for what he did to him.

"I'm sorry, but I was going to ask a favor of you." The man turned around, his golden eyes shining through the darkness.

"Go on."

"Well, I wanted to know if you were ready to get your revenge on Judas yet?" Kamui looked at the small angel, almost growling at him.

"You found Judas?" Shiva looked at him and smiled. Kamui may have been a great wolf spirit, but because of the way Hell was built and where he was imprisoned, he couldn't really find Judas.

"Yes, and if you follow my mark, I'll let you have him."

"How long will I have to wait? Not too long Kamui, not too long." Kamui went back to his spot looking back at the ceiling. "I've waited this long already, I doubt a few more days would be a problem."

Shiva bowed as he walked out of the cavern and back onto the trail to his own room. It was littered with paintings of his favorite red- headed angel. Now one would wonder why Shiva would want Judas to be in danger from someone who wanted nothing more than to destroy him. Simply put, if Shiva could save the man before Shin could, he would be able to get back in Judas' good graces, possibly even get him to forget about Shin altogether.

-O-

The night was cold and stale, the stars and moon illuminated the man as he walked about the mansion. He stopped in front of the wanted room, and waited to make sure that he was in fact alone. Pandora touched the cold knob and twisted, opening the door and entering the dark room. Pandora tiptoed from the large living room and into the chamber that stood directly to the right of him.

The bedroom was adorned with all types of beautiful gold, only fit for the son of god of course. Pandora continued into the quarters, stepping onto the soft plush rug underneath his feet, nearing the bed where Heros was sleeping soundly. The beautiful angel was snoring ever so lightly, and his deep exhales sounded so loud compared to the silence of the room. The intruder tiptoed even deeper into the room until he was right above Heros' head. He produced a vile from inside of his robe and looked at it in the light only to shake its settled contents. After the concoction was righted, Pandora tilted the vile, allowing a slow downpour of purple serum to make its way into Heros' mouth. The serum was certainly a sleeping poison, forcing the drinker into a deep sleep for only god knows how many weeks, months, or days. Pandora smiled as his serum closed onto the target.

While Pandora was making his way into Heros' chamber, Heros was busy fighting the demons in his head. He kept going back to the fact that his father would have him killed in order to keep his rightful place on the throne, and he would put all of Heaven in danger just to accomplish that goal. He was becoming restless, he noticed, and it wasn't part of anything that went on in his head; it was from something outside of his body. He opened his eyes in time to meet a purple stream about to enter his mouth. He moved away, and saw the man responsible. Without a thought, Heros took Pandora by the hand and threw him onto the bed. He hovered on top of the green haired man, daring him to try to escape. Pandora could only smile wider at Hero's apparent rage.

"What are you doing here?" Heros asked, snatching the vile from the man.

"Nothing really…"

"What is this?" Pandora smiled again, enjoying the game they were playing. He looked into Heros' deep dark eyes and caressed his cheek.

"Why don't you find out my prince?" Heros looked about ready to throw the advisor into the wall when he too, produced a wicked smile.

"Why not Pandora." He tilted the bottle, inching it ever so slightly to produce the smallest of drops. Pandora did not flinch; Heros tried with a fuller drop but still, Pandora wasn't going to react to anything that Heros did with the vile. "I can only guess who sent you after me," he said after putting the vile on the nightstand. Pandora wouldn't have been able to reach it if he wanted; his hands were pinned under Heros, who looked down on him from above. "I guess I have to let you go." He got off from the man under him and watched as Pandora waved him goodbye.

Heros sighed and sat back on the bed. There was no way he would stop trying to get rid of him (if that was in fact what Pandora was trying to do), thought Heros. He was a loyal subordinate, and that only meant that in order to put a stop to his own death, Heros knew the time was now for him to seize the throne from his tyrant of a dad.

-O-

Gai and Goh were still upon the giant tree on the outskirts of the village. The night still shadowed the sky, and even after the events just hours earlier, there was a sense of serenity about the air. Though, in a second, the serene peace was gone. In the centre of the village, there was a loud sound that disturbed the sleeping villagers. Soon enough, the sound had become deafening, and the ground had begun to crack upon in only certain areas. Gai was sleeping soundly, waving away the animals that had been yelling so loudly. "Shut up," he yelled irritably, "I'm trying to sleep." He mumbled a few more unintelligible words until finally the screams of the villagers woke both of the sleeping men up.

"Goh," said Gai, looking at the village. It was like a picture of déjà vu, the way the fire and the screams occurred; it was just like what happened only moments ago. They jumped off the tree, and hurried into the village. It was worse than they could have ever imagined.

Huge gashes, and cracks appeared under every abode, only expanding as it engulfed the entirety of the houses and the people screaming for help under them. Goh and Gai got to work, helping the people get to safety. Deep dark tunnels opened up in huge numbers, and it wasn't until the men flew high above the village did they realize what was occurring. They looked at each other.

"Gai, do you see this?" Goh asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, Goh." Gai was silent, and he had every right to not have anything to say at this moment; this only proved that they had to stop their former friends and allies, no matter what past they had.

Surrounding the village was some sort of engraving, and even though the immense number of portals to the underworld had obstructed the general form of the symbol, Goh had already guessed that the plan had called for some kind of sacrifice, and this village had been chosen as that one thing. Goh clenched his eyes shut hard, holding back both the anger and the disappointment that met him. If Judas and Luca went as far as killing, he knew there was no hope for them. He regained himself, and along with Gai, proceeded to save all that they could before the village was taken over.

As the huge cracks and upturned earth grew more frequent, demons started to enter. They came from out of nowhere, each of them taking a place on the edge of the symbol. Gai and Goh hurried, trying to save even more humans as they possibly could, before the plans of those in Hell came to life.

Finally, as the last of the hundreds of demons exited the openings created by the holes in the village's ground, Judas and Luca looked back at their loves and asked them for the last time. "Shin, Rei," started Judas, "this is your last chance…"

"Hey," said Rei, smiling at the both of them, "we made our decision and we will stick to it." Luca walked to both of them and patted their shoulder, touching the part of their neck that was bare.

"Then you go first, we'll be right behind you." Rei and Shin obeyed what the angel had told them. Luca waited until they were out of sight before he turned to his old time friend, Judas.

"So what did you pick up?"

"They both speak the truth, but I fear they will falter… they are conflicted with staying with us, and choosing between what is right or wrong."

"Is that so…?" spoke Judas turning to leave the cave that had held him captive all this time. "Well, I guess we see how things go then," he said. "Let us go, come on Shiva." The angel excitedly ran up to Judas and stole a place right beside him as the three of them headed out to Earth.

Judas, Luca, and Shiva stepped out into the dark night, turning dawn, and walked straight to the middle of the engraving -where Shin and Rei were waiting- that all the other demons had traced with their bodies. Some words were said, and giant flames arose from around the circular symbol. Judas and Luca looked at each other, and then to the men around them. A few more incantations were heard, and just as the final words were spoken, Goh had seen Judas. They looked straight into each others eyes, both of them having some sort of internal turmoil at seeing their "friend" after such a parting. Judas moved his eyes away, and went back to Luca, speaking the final word. Goh and Gai raced to them, but the flames rose higher, blinding them with their intense brightness as they grew larger, and reached further up into the sky. The village was lifted up, the humans screaming out as they were burned alive by the intense heat. Further and further the village floated into the air, until they reached the boundary that was the clouds. A few seconds later, they had all fallen onto Heaven, and within seconds, the battle had begun. The angels who had witnessed such an event watched as the demons attacked their brethren.

Judas and Luca, as well as Shin and Rei, followed the path straight to the palace, and Shiva stayed behind wanting to finish something. Up above, having finally recovered from the blinding that the flames had afflicted upon them, Gai and Goh gazed in terror as demons and angels alike fought to the death. Gai hurried down to help them, but Goh stopped him. "Gai," he said through clenched teeth, "we can't. We have to stop Judas so that the rest of these demons can be finished off. If not, we would be fighting forever, not able to even stop our former allies." Gai understood and jumping onto Goh's back, they ran toward the palace.

-O-

Shiva looked around the ground, and found the hole that he was looking for. Long before they went up into the opening to reach earth, Shiva had engraved a symbol so that another being could take the ride into Heaven with them. He jumped down, and smiled at the Kamui who had bared his teeth. "You are free Kamui, go and get your revenge." Kamui took a step forward cautiously, testing to make sure that what the young angel had told him was the truth. It was, and the moment he stepped foot outside of the cave he had been confined to because of Judas, he turned into a magnificent golden wolf and ran at full speed, following his nose to Judas. Shiva smiled evilly, hurrying to follow the grand wolf so that he had the perfect opportunity to save Judas before even Luca.

-O-

The four angels jumped into the sky, not long after leaving the ground. Shin was held by Judas, looking at the magnificent red wings the man sported. "When did you…?" started Shin. Judas smiled down at him before flying up higher into the sky. Shin's hair whipped around his face as he waited for Judas to answer him.

"Too long ago it seems… even if it only had been a short while."

The conversation was cut short and Rei (who was flying alongside Luca) and Shin focused on the trouble that was brewing underhand. All under them, apparently invisible to the eyes of the former angels, the angels were being defeated one by one. Some brutally, and others not as much, but all in all, it was still a horrid sight to behold. Tears flooded both their eyes, and they looked at each other with silent words. Their loves had gotten stone hearts; it was as if they weren't at all fazed by what was occurring down below.

Luca, who had always been observant, sighed and closed his eyes after witnessing the faces of his friends. He didn't need to touch them in order to guess what they were feeling; he knew what they wanted to do, and say, but they wouldn't. Even he, no matter how much he hated what he was doing, knew it was the right thing to do. Zeus was a menace to the angels in Heaven, and the spirits down below. If someone didn't stop him, then things would only get worse.

As the man was contemplating this, he sensed something strong and … angry? He looked back only in time to see a giant golden wolf jumping for Judas. He tried to stop him, getting himself into stance, but he was pushed aside easily. "Judas!" yelled Luca as he fell through the air. Judas looked back and saw the wolf closing in. The look that registered in his face was neither fear nor anger, but a sense of sadness. He threw Shin over to Rei, who flew Shin to the ground. Luca had already fallen hard, and one of his wings was badly bruised, but even with such an injury, he tried to help Judas. He flew back into the air, wobbling back and forth erratically, waiting for the perfect opportunity to help his friend.

"Stay back Luca, I have to do this… this is my responsibility." Judas looked back at the wolf and shook his had in sadness. What had come of the respectable wolf that he had fought those years ago? Was he so enraged that he became another being altogether? "Kamui, I do not have time for this. It is best that you forget about the revenge you promised me so long ago…"

"Oh, you don't have any time? You have created me, this angered wolfen spirit, and because I did vow to kill you, I will." Kamui jumped up and attacked Judas head-on. Judas dodged easily, already bringing a fist to the large wolf, flying straight into the beast's stomach and punching him with a brutal hit. Kamui howled, but grabbed onto Judas before he flew away, and threw him into the ground. Luca gasped loudly, trying to fly over to his friend, but again Judas told him to stop.  
"No… Luca…" he said getting right back up. Kamui fell onto the floor, circling Judas as they both waited for the best time to attack.

-O-

Heros walked out of his room, having his plan of attack fresh in his head as he went to his father's throne room. Before that though, Heros took a detour outside and the sight the he had witnessed caused him to jump into battle protecting the weak angels. Demons were running about, killing the angels without mercy. Some of the angels may have held off a good number of the demons but it was only a matter of time before they succumbed to the power the demons had. Heros fought off the first demons, throwing his sword through the air to stop a demon that was about to kill off a downed angel. He destroyed his demon, and went for the remaining ones that surrounded the palace gate.

"Heros!" The man turned around a saw his mother running toward him, her own guardian angel hovering around her. She was safe far inside of the palace, but he was sure she needed him to do something. He looked around the area, only catching a few glances of even more demons walking up to the palace. Luckily there were no more angels to help, so Heros ran to his mom, asking if she was alright.

"Heros," she spoke looking into his eyes, "it is time that you take over your father's throne."

"I know, I will use this diversion, and take Heaven back to its pure form. You go and stay safe okay mother?"

"I cannot, I have to go and help those that I can." She saw the look on her son's face and smiled. "It's alright; I have my guardians."

Heros nodded and ran away from her towards his dad's throne room. It all decided on this, as well as what the Saint's Beasts are still able to accomplish, thought the Goddess as she watched her son disappear.

-O-

"Gai, what are you doing?"

"I can't help it! They need our help."

"I guess you're right," replied Goh, "I was starting to feel bad not helping them down there." Goh saved a group of young angels that had gathered inside of a small house, trying to hide from the demons. After the angels had run away, and after the demons ganged up on the only two angels left in that area, Gai turned to Goh.

"Hey, Goh…" Goh looked at his friend, though still weary of the battle that could commence at any moment. A demon jumped at him, and he blocked them with much skill.

"What is it Gai?" A few more demons jumped up into the air, hoping to surprise the two of them, but both Gai and Goh attacked, killing them in their place.

"Go on ahead of me. You need to stop Judas." Goh stopped his movements, looking at Gai, who was trying not to look at him.

"What are you talking about? You know I wouldn't leave you behind!"

"I know, and that's why I'm telling you!" yelled Gai loudly. The sound of his voice had cause Goh to whisper his name. "You are the only one who could catch up to, and defeat Judas. If I went with you, I'd only be a nuisance."

"Gai… I'm not going to leave you… not with all these demons!" There were so many demons, and it seemed never-ending. They fought while they conversed, and as they did, it seemed to Goh that Gai was moving away from him. He had been trying to get a hold of Gai, so that he could see the expression that went with such sad words. He finally caught up to Gai, after Gai had stopped to catch his breath.

"Gai, why would I leave you here?"

"Because you should put Heaven before me Goh, and this is the only way. I can deal with these demons."

"I know that, but it's too much for you to handle."

"Goh!" Gai yelled again, looking at him seriously, "go. Just go." Gai turned around, waiting for the next batch of demons to attempt an attack when he heard Goh sigh.

"Alright Gai, you are right." Gai didn't turn around. "I still don't want to leave you here with all these demons, but if I must, you better come back alive."

Gai finally turned around, a big goofy grin on his face. "Of course I'll be alive. Do you doubt my powers?"

"No, it's just…" Gai looked up at Goh, wondering why the silence had been in affect when he felt the man's strong arms wrap around his waist.

"Goh… Goh… what are you…?" Goh closed the space between the two of them, taking Gai's lips with his own. Gai felt his heart race, and the smirk Goh had when his breathing got shallow. Gai pushed Goh off of him, baring his teeth to the dual-eyed angel, mostly angered by his smirk. "What was that?"

"An incentive. Don't die alright?" Goh turned around and jumped away from his love, on his way to stop Judas.

"Alright demons," said Gai, "let's go. I'm looking to blow off some steam right about now."

-O-

Judas and Kamui looked at each other, trying with all their might, to figure out the best way to end the fight. They knew each other in a battle sense; they would fight until one of them died, so it was probably best that they try to expose the weakness of their foe. Kamui was the first to jump back into the battle, extending his large claws at Judas. Judas sidestepped, uncurling his wings, taking the battle up in the sky once again.

Kamui growled loudly, jumping up, and grabbing the angel. Judas pushed him off, bringing his hands together and dropping them with much force right onto the giant wolf spirit's spine. Kamui cried out, but rather than detracting from the pain inflicted onto him, he turned around and caught Judas' arm before he could take them off.

Down below, Shin was looking up at the battle with dread. "Oh no, Judas," he said out loud. He was about to run up to him, but Rei had held him back.

"Shin, you can't. Judas won't be able to protect you too…" As much as he didn't want to say it, Shin knew Rei was right. If he got caught, he would certainly only be a burden to Judas, and things would only get worse.

"Shin…" he said silently relaxing in Rei's arm. Luca was standing beside Rei watching the battle with just as much worry.

Shiva had walked back from where they had landed onto Heaven. He was watching as the fight progressed, almost mad that Shin didn't run in to try to save Judas. If he had done that, he was sure things would be easier for him. He decided to begin his plan. Shiva ran from behind the trees, making sure to yell loudly at the two in the air. "Judas!" Shiva yelled. Everyone turned to the man, and Judas grimaced.

"Shiva, don't! Stay away!"

"I will save you Judas!" said Shiva. Kamui had taken this chance and started to spin really fast. His body was still in pain from the blow he received from Judas, but in order to enact his long-awaited revenge, he would have to deal with it. He spun faster and faster, gaining so much speed that the wind was visibly encircling around him. Judas saw Shiva continue to run forward to attempt to save him, but he would only be making things worse for himself.

The force of the wind had been so formidable, that Judas was having trouble staying in his place. His wings were aching as they flapped back and forth to keep from entering the twister. Shiva was inadvertently pulled into the twister, yelling and grasping for Judas' hand as he passed by the angel. Judas moved forward, but he was powerless to do anything, not to mention he now had to defend against Kamui who started to attack him again.

"Shiva!" said the other angels on the floor. There wasn't much that they could do in any attempt, but even so, Shin started to move toward the battle. Shiva was already unconscious; he was spinning back and forth around Kamui's body as if it held such a strong gravitational pull. Shin walked into the raging winds, blocking the flying objects that Kamui's winds brought with him.

Judas yelled at Shin, telling him that he would save the other angel, but Shin disregarded him. Too many times he would have to rely on them, the stronger angels, and he was done sitting and being told what to do. Shin wanted to help people and he was going to help Shiva, no matter what happened to him.

Shin, as soon as he got closer to the wolf, who was also moving about sporadically, he extended his hands and pulled Shiva once he got a hold of him. Judas yelled out once again for Shin, and Kamui was getting tired of the man's distractions. He stopped where he was and growled loudly at Shin. He rammed his head right into the angel's stomach, causing him to fly out into one of the trees that were surrounding them. Judas had completely lost it now. When Kamui turned back to his foe, he saw a completely different Judas.

Before, Judas hadn't wanted to kill Kamui, not really having a problem with him. The vengeance that Kamui had was justified, and he understood that completely. Though, when the beast had deliberately attacked his friends he couldn't accept that. Judas looked at him, tension and hatred in his eyes so thick and hard, that he couldn't help but to flinch. The inner animal in him had told him to run, to escape from the gaze of this dangerous angel, but the human pride of himself told him to fight until the death; after all, that's what they were there for.

Judas flew slowly toward Kamui, hatred flowing about his body. "You will pay for that Kamui." The man attacked without so much of a warning, that everybody had been surprised. In one moment, Kamui was in the sky, and the next he was on the ground, laying on his side in pain. Judas flew down, in rapid speed, and hit Kamui dead on from his earlier height. Kamui coughed, blood now reddening the green grass. Judas only had to hit him one more time and he was sure he would die.

"Finish me off…" said Kamui out of breath. It took all of his strength to say that.

"You don't have to tell me that Kamui. I had respected you, and you let your hatred consume you."

Kamui laughed. "Like you… are any different… You… angry now…"

"I have my anger under control Kamui, and because of that, I will let you die yourself. I will not kill you." Kamui could do nothing but sigh and accept the man's terms. It wasn't like he had the strength for another attack to make sure Judas killed him. He looked up in the sky and smiled. He would have never thought that he would have died in Heaven. Kamui closed his eyes and his body dissipated, leaving behind golden rays of light that took to the sky.

Judas ran over to the angels that were surrounding both Shiva and Shin. Shin was worse off than Shiva was, and Shiva had already awakened. He saw himself sitting next to Shin, and Judas looking at Shin with such sad eyes. Shiva got angry, standing up quickly, but not yet regaining his strength. Judas helped him steady himself as he wobbled back and forth.

"Why do you help this man? He didn't even try to help you!" Judas looked away from Shiva. He kneeled and slowly undid Shin's buttons. He removed the clothes away from the way of the man's stomach, looking at the giant bruise on his fair white skin. He brought his lips to Shin's stomach and lightly kissed it. He kissed away the pain and the bruising that the man had received from Kamui. "Shiva, Shin was the one to save you from Kamui."

Shiva looked at him disbelievingly. "Why would…? I don't…" he started.

Judas took his hands and ran it through Shins long blue hair. He kissed the man's forehead, watching as his eyes slowly opened. "Judas," he said, "how is Shiva?" Shiva could not believe it! After everything he had done to make Shin look bad, in the end nothing would work. Shiva watched as Judas pulled Shin into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Judas…" he said.

"Don't ever make me worry like that ever again." Shin smiled and wrapped his hands around Judas.

"I'm sorry Judas."

Shiva looked away, holding back both his anger and his sadness. Shin may be the number one in Judas' heart, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't end up as number one in the future.

-O-

Zeus looked at the crystal sitting on the small desk beside him with such anger that he would have been able to shatter it into tiny pieces by just looking at it. He gritted his teeth, glaring at the orb until Pandora entered the room. Pandora looked at him. "You called sir?" he spoke bowing.

"I see that you have not fulfilled what I sent you out to do…" Zeus paused. "What do you have to say?! Heros will be here at any moment I presume…"

"My Lord, I'm sorry, but Heros… he is far more formidable than I had originally planned."

"And what are you going to do about that Pandora?"

"Well my Lord…" As Pandora was about to propose his idea, they both turned to the door. It was pushed open slowly, as if with a weary caution. There was a thick silence in the room, as Heros walked inside of Zeus' chamber. "Heros…" said Pandora with the hint of a smirk.

"Father, I know you know why I am here…"

"Heros, don't think that I will let you get this throne so easily."

There was an unspoken hatred building in the room with every second that passed and soon, as the men both stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move, Pandora was able to feel the immense power that they both contained leak out from their bodies. "Prepare yourself Heros."

The movement made by Zeus was too fast to be seen. He was standing next to his throne, and then the next moment, he was right beside a painting on the wall. The painting's subject was of a sword only told through folklore, and passed on to the angels as mere fairytale, as one would say. Heros gasped, not at all liking the look on his father's face.

"What is going on?" asked Heros.

"You know about this sword right? It was the very sword that was said to have given my father, and his father before him the upper hand in the war for Heaven all those millennia ago… well this, my son, is not just a fairytale…" Zeus turned away from Heros, taking his hand and placing it firmly on the painting. "Come to me Sword of the Ages." As soon as he had called out the sword's name, Zeus clenched his fist and then started to pull away from the picture. A bright light began to shine, and as soon as that had passed, Zeus was standing in front of his enemy, with a giant sword. He pointed it to his son. "Now the fight begins."

-X-

A/N: Hey peoples! I know, this feels like the most detailed work ever! Almost, or maybe more than my Inuyasha's Wish (cool, free advertising LOL) anyways, yeah. I think we are almost done with the story… sadness, I know, but you can always review! I really like knowing what you readers think. Why? Cause if you are an author you should know no? You tell me! Anyways, I'm going to go on with the story now. Bye for now!


	3. Chapter 3

Resolve

Chapter 3

-X-

Judas and Shin stood together for the longest time, until Judas looked at Luca. Luca knew that it was time. He went to Rei and hugged him as well. "Please, get out of here while you still can." Rei looked at Luca, knowing as well what was to come.

"We said we'd be there with you… and we'll stick to our word…" said Rei. He looked to Shin who nodded, agreeing with the purple haired angel. Luca passed his hand over Rei's cheeks, moving a strand of hair in the process.

"Rei, I can tell that you are not completely sure about this…" he said gently. He was so close to Rei, that Rei couldn't help but to blush. He pushed Luca away from him gently.

"I am going to stay by your side Luca." His mind had been made and when Judas looked at Shin, he made it clear that he was with Rei. They were going to go through with the plan that both of them still had doubts about.

"Alright then," said Judas grabbing Shin in a bridal position and flying into the air with him, "let my demons and we go to attack the palace." Luca flew into the air, Shiva in his hands, and Rei right beside him. Rei and Shin exchanged worried looks. They hoped to God that they'd be able to truly keep their feelings down. In truth, they hated the idea of offing Zeus, and making Heaven a place where Hell's demons roamed free.

-O-

Heros jumped out of the way as the blade of the sword flew passed him at amazing speeds. He moved away from his father, completely keeping away from Pandora who stood watching in the corner, lest he decide to do something dangerous. Zeus swung again, raising his hand high above his head and bringing it down with tremendous force. The floor shook under him, causing a large fissure to occur.

Heros tried to move, but even with the grandeur of the room, the closed space that he had to fight with just wasn't enough. He looked down at his father, feeling the danger and the intent to kill strongly floating from him. The sword stood faced at him again, and he wondered what he was going to do. That sword was passed down from generation, ever since Heaven was created by his thrice times great grandfather- it had only skipped one generation, and this was because of a disastrous event that happened in Heavens unrecorded history- and it was a sword of so much power that he thought it wasn't even real. Having to face such a magnificent weapon would certainly be tough, Heros thought, but he knew he had to get the weapon away from Zeus. If Zeus continued to wield it, it would be the end of Heaven.

Heros moved himself quickly, grabbing whatever he could find to defend against another attack that his father had presented to him. He took a fire poker, holding it out, attempting to parry the blow from the Sword of the Ages. The fire poker had broken in two, but even with that small delay, Heros was able to run outside. Outside may have been better for him, but that also meant that Zeus had all those advantages. The moment Zeus walked outside, he flew up into the sky. "Once I get rid of you, I will be able to purge Heaven of all those who have sinned!"

Heros took to the skies, his large wings lifting him off of the ground with much grace. He flew toward Zeus. He wasn't going to continue the game of tag. If he wanted this fight to be over, he would have to start battling and he knew he could beat Zeus. His fist was extended, and he moved an inch away from his original trajectory, spinning in the air to get added strength to his punch. His fist was aimed for Zeus' face, but the man had blocked it quite easily. Heros sneered, and turned around so that his other hand had punched, but still, Zeus foresaw that attack. He laughed as he pushed his son to the ground. While Zeus had created an opening pushing the man down to the ground, Heros took that as his chance to bring his foot up and uppercut the man with his leg. Heros moved out of the way, hearing the sound of cracking bone as Zeus fixed his jaw. Blood leaked down his chin, and there was a look of death in his eyes.

A distinctive aura began flowing out of Zeus after that attack that Heros had landed on him. Pandora sensed it, and he walked over to his Lord, asking him to calm down. Zeus had turned his head sharply, glaring at Pandora before swinging the sword at him. The sword wasn't even close to Pandora! It seemed the intense force of Zeus' hatred had caused his power to become tangible. Pandora flew head first into the palace walls, creating a huge body shaped crater. Heros returned his attention to Zeus after the god lifted the sword toward him again.

The Sword of the Ages was the only things obstructing the path to Heros' father, the only thing that made Heros cringe as he thought of the multiple ways to get that sword from his father. He decided finally on all out attacks. If he could even get Zeus to loosen his grip on the hilt of the sword for even a moment, that'd be enough for him to take the fight into his hands. With one final breath, the angel looked at his father and ran.

Zeus laughed out loud, depending on the power of the sword to keep Heros at a distance. To him, his son was just attempting suicide and for such a sin, he surely had to punish him for that, thought Zeus. Zeus turned his head to Heros just as he reached the right of him. Zeus turned his whole body with him, taking the sword along for the ride as well, and then Heros executed the same action a second time, but on the other side. Heros saw, much to his advantage, that the sword kept his father on one side just a tad bit too long for his own good; that the sword was too heavy for such quick movements.

Heros repeated his earlier actions, gaining speed every time. He would hit Zeus with punches that packed enough power to kill a human. With each and every attack, Heros noticed that his father was getting not only irritated, but also impatient. The need to attack with the sword had lessened, and soon, soon, he would be fighting hand to hand. If that happened, Heros knew he would win. Hand to hand combat had always been his strong suit, thanks in part to the Goddess. She had countless times told him that he would need his combat skills in the future, and it was now he knew why. His father had always relied on something to fight with… a weapon of some sorts, and it was this lack of flexibility that would be his downfall. Heros was hoping, praying in his heart that he had the power to defeat his father once and for all.

Zeus' son attacked again, and it was this last punch to the cheek that had gotten Zeus to let go of the sword and catch Heros arm as he headed to the other side. Heros smiled, and Zeus glared at him, almost wanting to ask him why in the hell he was smiling. Heros looked up to his father. "You are finished, Father." With those words, Heros turned around and threw himself onto his father's torso. He grabbed his father's neck into his hands and waited for any sign of resistance. Even though he was an angel who only wanted peace, Heros was willing to kill his father in the name of a new god. The moment this was all over, he would take over and vow that Heaven become a place of peace like when his grandfather and kin before him had ruled. He looked Zeus in the eye, giving him a final goodbye as he clenched his hands and twisted his father's neck.

-O-

Goh flew through the sky, his jumps as high and as fast as if he was flying. The angel stopped only for brief intervals, destroying all demons that were both in his way and wreaking havoc unto the angels that were weaker than them. He jumped back into the air, questioning the earlier surge of energy that he had felt. It was two bouts of energy actually: one that seemed to come from the palace, and the other one that seemed to emanate from a little ways farther than where he stood. He hurried, afraid for not only Heaven, but for the other two Beasts that chose to go with his now enemies. He wanted to make sure that he was able to avoid a fight with Shin and Rei, but like Heros, he knew where his priorities lied. Heaven was supposed to come out the victor, no matter what had to be done. He didn't want to follow this philosophy of "by any means" but it seemed he would have no choice.

Goh finally ran farther having felt the remnants of power from a familiar presence. It was when he went to earth on a mission that Zeus assigned only to Judas. Judas was to destroy a wolf and his clan for disobeying Zeus' orders and when Goh found out about it, he decided to tag along. It was this same wolfen leader, Kamui, that he felt in the air. He was there when the wolf had declared his vengeance to Judas, the Saint's Beast's leader.

When Goh got just it bit farther, he saw in the air, the four angels, and he quickly jumped, increasing his speed so that he was near them. "Hey Judas! Luca! Stop it!" the angel yelled. Judas looked back, and after catching the look in his eye, Goh knew that he wasn't going to stop until he reached the palace.

The demons that followed after Judas stopped to attack Goh, and he made quick work of the first few, continuing in his pursuit of his former allies. Though soon, as the numbers increased exponentially, the dual-eyed angel had no choice but to stop and fight. He watched with angry eyes as the angels went to the palace. He had to stop these demons and talk to Judas before he got close to Zeus. There was no telling what would happen if a war occurred again, and not to mention, Heaven was still recovering from the damages of the previous war too. If things got anymore worse, there would surely be no peaceful Heaven to return too at all. Judas and those following him had finally gotten far away from the limits of Goh's sight. He turned to the demon minions before him, preparing himself as they jumped him.

-O-

Judas and Luca looked at each other, both of them with a smile of accomplishment over their faces as they neared the palace. Outside, they saw the bodies of their minions littering the floor, as well as another sight that seemed to have peaked Judas' interest. Heros was looking at Pandora hover over what looked to be the dead body of Zeus. Judas flew lower, stepping onto the bricks of the palace's courtyard lightly.

"He is dead, exactly as you see," he said sadly. He hadn't shed one tear at all for his beloved lord and savior Zeus, but he was definitely taking the blow to heart. He looked up at Judas, a smile on his face that didn't seem to meet his eyes. "What are you going to do about this new god?"

Judas turned to Heros, who had stepped up from where his original location was, but still keeping a large distance between him and the angel. "So Heros, I would have never thought you of all people would kill Zeus. You saved me a hell of a battle," laughed Judas, "but sadly, I will have to take the position from you now."

"Why?" said Heros preparing himself for an attack. He knew Judas; he was once his role model. "Zeus is no longer God! Isn't that what you wanted?!"

"Yes, but who's to say that you won't fall into the same boat that your father did? You know what they say: "the apple doesn't far from the tree…" "

"Judas," said Heros walking to the Sword of the Ages, "what happened to you? You are nothing like I remember!"

"I am sorry to disappoint, but I will not take that risk. For everything that I had to go through to get here… I will take over this place and turn it into Hell."

Heros was hurting on the inside. His companion, one of the angels who had been his trainer and been there whenever things had troubled him, was here as an enemy and now that Heros had Heaven resting on his hands, he could not afford to give Judas a chance. "No, I am sorry. I will not let you take or destroy Heaven no matter what. I will stop you right here!"

"Oh so the student wants to fight the master huh? Let us see how good you've gotten Heros."

-O-

Gai had just punched the last of the demons, when another stood up again. It let out a fierce yell, instigating the other demons to yell as well. It looked at Gai, almost as if he were taunting the angel, before opening his mouth wide. Gai, being an angel of animals, was super sensitive to the feelings that the demons possessed. As they all opened their mouths, he felt that he should leave the place, and this sensation filled the air around him. He ran to the demon, intent on defeating whatever unnerving feeling he was experiencing. As he neared the demon, Gai was frozen stiff; his animal instincts already commanding him to take shelter away from the demons.

Bright flames were produced, and when they had filled the entirety of the demons' orifice, they let the searing flames go. Just like what had happened in the village, flames consumed the bright green grass, filling the ground with black ash. The air was polluted, the grey smog clearing out the view of the afternoon sun. Gai tried to stop the flames, but it was useless, and he knew this. They devoured and ravaged the small area until not a thing was left. Gai watched in horror as the animals he couldn't save burned under the intense fire. Even when nothing had been left—the green completely devoured—the flames searched for some other type of sustenance to satisfy their cravings. The sweltering flames raced off onto the next green pasture, further increasing their destruction. Gai ran before the flames had anytime at all in finishing him off. He raced off to find the rest of his friends. He knew enough to know that these destructive flames would only lessen and possibly disappear after the others ordered it. If not, he thought, the Heaven that they all knew and grew up in, would most definitely become a living hell.

-O-

Goh ran killing the demons swiftly, hurrying back to the palace. He was sure wherever Judas and Luca were, they were already on their way to Zeus, and it was his job to stop them. Goh had kept on running, not even stopping to gasp in surprise when he saw Judas go after a man whom he knew to be Heros. He was also trained by Goh, whenever he and Judas trained the kids together. Heros moved forward, a giant sword in his hand, attacking Judas with all of his might. Judas laughed and grabbed the sword with his bare hands.

"What?" said Heros in awe. He had just witnessed the intense power of the sword in his father's hands, yet either he couldn't wield the power of the sword yet, or Judas had just been on another level. He tried to pry the weapon out of Judas' hands, but he couldn't. Heros stared into the eyes of the man, realizing that he was in fact a changed man. Judas smiled and picked Heros up by the skin of his shirt. "Judas..."

"You better pray to someone, Heros, because there will be no mercy from me." Heros, though on the verge of tears, continued to struggle in the hands of Judas. He was not going to go down without a fight, not while he was the new god of this reign.

Judas took the sword and positioned it closer to Heros, and before he could impale the large object into the man's body, Goh ran up and caught his hand. "Let him go, now."

Judas, didn't look at Goh, except, he kept his view on Heros, and the fear that he had elicited from the man. "Goh, what do I owe this pleasure?"

"What are you doing Judas?! This is not what we wanted for Heaven. When we said things were bad, and we needed to change some things, this is not how you should have gone about it!" Goh looked at the group that had come with Judas. They could not meet his eyes, they were so ashamed at what had passed. He turned away and shifted his focus back to Judas. "Let Heros go, or else I will make you."

Judas dropped Heros to his feet. The boy was so shaken, that he couldn't even move away from Judas. Goh, apologizing for his friends, walked him over to the safe side of the palace, and then went right back to Judas. "Goh, how do you intend to stop me?"

-O-

Gai ran his fastest, disregarding the demons that congregated, destroying the beauty of Heaven, along with their flames. He ran all the way to the front of the palace, where an angel he was all to familiar with, was protecting a group of other angels that were getting attacked by demons. He jumped into the battles, taking the demons out for the angel. The angel, a guardian whom has chased after Gai countless times for stealing the Godess' mirror, turned to him, thanking him.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be watching over the Goddess?"

"Yes, but she wanted me to protect those that were unable to protect themselves."

"I see... where is the Goddess?"

"I am right here Gai. I have something to tell you." The Goddess walked over to Gai, taking no time in greeting. Even when Gai, turned to bow, the Goddess told him to forgo all formalities until the war was over. "Gai, go to Goh and Heros. They will need your help."

"Goh and Heros? What is going on?"

"Just in case Judas is too much to handle, they will need all the help that they can get. Hurry to them, you will find them on the other side of the palace." Gai ran from the royal woman, bowing regardless of what she had earlier ordered.

"Should I go and help him?" asked the guardian.

"No, this is something that only he and his friends can do. If we interfere, I fear that those who need to change their decision will not. Let us go." He followed after the wise woman, and took his place next to her as they both exposed their arms to fight off the wave of flames and demons that was nearing them.

-X-

A/N: The story is almost done and let me tell you, I had a hard time with this battle as well as Kamui's battle. I always thuoght Kamui deserved another shot at Judas, and I think I did that scene well!


	4. Chapter 4

Resolve

Final Chapter

-X-

Goh looked at the old friend and with a sad face, he moved to Judas. Judas laughed loudly, taking the hint; Goh was going to fight him to the death. Goh and Judas locked arms in a stalemate, looking each other in the eyes. The dual-eyed angel looked at his fallen friend, but he knew words would not be able to bring him back, only actions. He lifted his leg up and took the opportunity to kick Judas in the gut. Judas smiled evilly, not really phased by the kick. He ran up to Goh only to punch him in the face. The angel's face was bloody, a thick streak falling from his forehead.

"I am stronger than you Goh..." said Judas attacking again and again. Goh tried to block the incoming barrage of attacks, but Judas was just to fast for him. The red-headed Judas' fists hit Goh straight on every time. Shin and Rei watched in horror their friend getting beaten up. They looked at each other, communicating without so much as a word. They wanted this to stop; friends did not attack each other as so.

Just as Goh actually made it a few feet away from Judas, to recover his breath, Shiva appears. His happy self was back, able and ready to help Judas whenever he needed to. He ran to Judas, but Judas commanded him in his place. "Nobody is to touch him, understand?" Shiva looked back and forth between the brown-haired angel and his red-haired leader, a look of hurt on his face. He relented, going to where the other angels were gathered. Judas wasted no time going after Goh after the interruption, flying straight at the angel and impaling him into what remained of the castle wall behind him. Over in the distance, from that same side, Gai saw the entire showing of Judas' attack. Gai was about to run to Goh, but knew he would just be in the way. If he truly wanted to make a difference, he would have to talk to the others and increase the size in numbers that he had. He looked behind him, toward the direction where the Goddess and her guard were. The fire and the demons had started to creep past the man-made barrier and at any moment, the excruciating flames of the demons of Hell would engulf each and every one of them. Gai ran past Goh, looking neither of the angels in the eye as he passed the warriors; he went straight to the others.

When Rei saw Gai, he could not help but to feel guilty. Usually they would joke around, and Rei would make Gai angry, but this time, he couldn't force himself to do it. So many people have gotten hurt, all because they did not try to stop Judas and Luca from going after Heaven. Gai stopped in front of both Shin and Rei, looking at them.

"You guys, look at this... we have to stop it, and you know you are the only ones who can do it." He looked back at Goh. "Goh is trying his best to stop you guys, and he didn't want to hurt anyone but you gave him no choice..." Gai sniffled, getting rid of the tears that were on the verge of being released. He spoke again. "Rei, Shin, I know that you guys aren't bad, you too Luca, Shiva, and even Judas... I believe in you guys and I know things will get better..."

Gai stopped his speech after hearing a gut-wrenching sound. His eyes went wide, and he ran to Goh after hearing the bones in his rib breaking. Goh was a mess by the end of the battle, but even as Gai held him, he tried to push the angel away to get to Judas; the fight was not over in Goh's eyes until someone had died or all had turned good. Judas walked over to the Sword of the Ages, and pointed it at Goh.

"It would seem, that I have won this battle..." said Judas.

Rei looked from Luca to Judas, from Gai to Goh, and back to Judas. He shook his head, grabbing Luca's shoulders. "This is wrong..." he said loudly, "this is so wrong. Luca, you need to stop him... _we_ need to stop him."

"I have a duty to Judas, Rei..." spoke Luca simply. Rei shook his head. All this time Rei had known this was wrong, the process of taking Heaven for Hell, and just following their lover's wills, but only when he saw the fighting between his friends did he realize just how much he needed to make his decision known. Luca, didn't even need to read Rei's feelings; they were on his face and his demeanor. Luca held Rei back. "No Rei..."

"I have to Luca; this is my duty to Heaven." Rei ran in front of Goh and Gai and looked at Judas. "I am sorry that I am late you guys, but I really think that Heaven should stay exactly as it was before," he said to Judas smiling sadly. Judas looked at the three angels before him. He knew all of them, and all of their favorite things, what made them happy and sad, what made them stronger, and what made them weaker... He moved closer to Rei, the sword still pointed to Goh.

"Move out of my way Rei, I will not hold back for you..."

"I know, but I still have to try Judas... look at what Heaven has become..." Judas and the others looked at the scene around them. Demons stomped in front of the flames, an army of them destroying everything in their path. The flames' heat was felt, and Judas looked back at Rei...

"This is exactly what I want! Now move aside..."

"I'm sorry Judas, but I cannot..." Rei moved into a stance, and extended his wings in case he needed to make an emergency dodge. He looked at his friend straight in the eye, waiting for him to make the first move. Judas accepted the challenge once again, throwing himself into Rei. Rei had not truly experienced the force of Judas' strength before, only hearing tales of how powerful he really was; Rei flew all the way back into the wall, a gush of blood released out of his mouth as he hit the castle walls. He fell to the ground, loose bricks and debris following him on his way down. He was already out, maybe as bad as Goh, but he also tried to stand.

Luca watched all of this in horror. He didn't know what to do. Rei was his lover, the one person who surpassed even Judas when it came to how much he loved someone. He had his duties, and his duties were to help Judas no matter what, but after seeing the look on Rei's face, the look of pure determination, Luca was ready to help... but he was too slow. Judas worked fast, and the beating that the angel Rei had received had given Luca his answer. No more would he watch the most important person in his life get hurt because of his duties. He had his own decisions to make. For a man who could read people's real feelings, it sure took him a while to catch on to his own, the ones that were telling him to fight with Rei all this time.

Though before Luca could even move into the battle, Shin had already made up his mind to follow what his heart really wanted. His heart yearned for Judas, but it also wanted more a place for other angels to live happily and peacefully. The vision that Judas and Luca had fought to create was not that world, and because of that, Shin had to stand up to Judas. Shin moved in front of Rei.

"You too Shin?" asked Judas with what may have been a sad tint in his voice. The flames had already taken some of the palace and the wild fire and the demons made their way to the group. Goh, Gai, Rei, and even Heros stood up to ready themselves for the imminent attack. The demons awaited Judas' commands, but the fire was another story. After Shin had tried his best to change Judas' mind, he decided on cruder tactics. He stood in front of his lover just like Rei had before, preparing to attack should need be. Judas' frowned and took up stance as well, throwing the sword aside.

"I guess you leave me no choice then..." Judas jumped up from is original position, not giving Shin the leeway to attack him first. The flames encircled the fighting group, trapping them in a flaming circle of heated air, which made it harder to breathe. Shin jumped back quickly, dodging with impressive agility Judas' attacks. The demons from Hell took the attack as a command to go; they assailed all that was not Judas, Luca, or Shiva.

The blue-haired angel had a hard time keeping up with Judas' fists ever since the flames had started around them. He was breathing hard, having to stop for a few moments in order to catch himself. Shin paused for only a second, and in the shadows cast by the roaring flames, lost track of Judas. He searched desperately for the man, but could not find him. Only when he heard the crackle of a flickering flame did he see Judas jumping from the air and right onto him. Shin gasped, taking a step back, falling onto the broken stones behind him.

"Judas... remember, please, all the times we had here in Heaven. Why would you want to destroy this place? Zeus is no longer in power and Heros will make a good king... we know he will!" Judas looked at Shin spitefully. What did he know? He was looking out for all of Heaven by turning it into Hell... that way only they would rule and they would never have to be under the tyranny of another oppressor again! "Judas... do you really think we could leave our lives in your hands when this is how you choose to rule your kingdom?" Shin said as if reading the very thoughts coursing through his mind. Judas looked around again, finally the scene registering in his mind. His demons were fighting the very people he wanted to originally help; the flames had all but devoured everything... there was desolate land from where all greenery and signs of life had been eaten. The flames had surrounded them all, each and everyone of the warriors protecting themselves from threats coming from either side.

Shin called out to the stunned man. What was he doing? Judas asked himself. The whole point of realizing Lucifer's dream was because Judas knew he would be able to rule. If he ruled, there would be peace... He watched as Shin came for him, with open arms, as if one hug could put away all mayhem and destruction that Judas had caused. Shin was ready and willing to forgive the red-head for his actions, but as soon as he took another step forward, a demon welcomed the opportunity. Judas yelled loudly as the little demon pushed Shin into the sweltering flames. All movement had come to a halt after hearing the scream Shin produced. Judas wasted no time in jumping in after the angel.

Shin rested his head on Judas' arms as Judas brought him and set him near the other angels. Gai was about to attack Judas, to make him pay for all the hurt all of them had faced, but Goh stopped him.

"Look at his eyes..." Gai looked into the emotion-filled orbs, taking the tears that formed at the edge of them into account. "He is plenty sorry about his actions Gai..."

"But we can't just let him go..."

"We aren't going to Gai. Come on, concentrate, we still have demons to ward off."

Judas dropped Shin gently, before turning his head away. Shin tried to lift his arms to get Judas to face him. "Judas, if this is what it takes for you to realize what you did was bad, then so be it..."

"Shin..." said Judas, "I never wanted you to get so hurt... none of you..."

"Judas..." said Shin. He grew quiet as Judas dislodged the ribbon that served as a belt and revealed all of Shin's bare skin. Even amongst his hot flesh Shin still produced a large blush. "What are you...?"

"I can heal remember..." He placed his lips on every part of Shin's delicate, fragile burned skin. Everywhere where Judas' lips touched the usual white smooth skin replaced the charred burning flesh. Judas ran his magical lips from the foot of the angel all the way to the top of his head.

"Shin, I..."

"You do not have to apologize to me..."

"I will make things right." Judas looked at his lover in the eye and Shin was able to sense something. Judas licked his lips and placed one final kiss on Shin's own lips. Shin gasped loudly as Judas pressed harder into his lips, finally releasing on the verge of breathlessness. Shiva and the others had watched, knowing why he had done what he did. This act had nothing to do with healing, that much was certain, but it was the most Judas could do to show Shin how he had felt.

Judas walked away from the shouting Shin, coming into contact with the demon that had thrown Shin into what could be considered the Flames of Hell. The demon stood fazed as Judas glared at him. The small demon got the message loud and clear and he scurried to make a run for it, but Judas had captured him. Judas held the demon up and spoke to the others surrounding them. "We are done here." Many of the demons had complied and started to leave the site, but a few other rebellious souls wanted to see Lucifer's wish done. They wanted to have Heaven belong to Hell, regardless of what their leader had told them. One of the demons walked up to Judas and attacked him. This action prompted a response from all the other demons. An all out battle had officially begun.

Judas, at first in shock, recovered and started to attack back himself. He threw a clenched fist at a demon coming from in front of him. Taking no time to even catch his breath, Judas attacked all the other demons that had rampaged him. They were numerous, coming from above, flying oblique paths that lead to him, others came from all sides, becoming distractions for those who were powerful enough to attack him head on. Judas had just threw a large demon into one of his comrades, when one of them had their mouth open, ready to spit fire. Judas tried to dodge, but Luca had jumped in front of him first. Luca smiled at his friend.

"I may have decided to stop wanting Heaven," he said, "but I still have your back Judas." Luca turned to the demon full on, impaling the creature with his hands. Black blood fell from his hands onto the grass, darkening what foliage was left.

Judas looked around and knew the only way to end this was to end the flames, or take the demons out of Heaven, but how was he to do that? Judas would usually have a plan for everything, but the thought of having a plan for if he failed never occurred to him; Judas never failed. He looked around, seeing his comrades and demons fight each other, each trying to gain the upperhand. Each of the angels had more struggles as they could not touch the flames; the demons on the otherhand used the flames to their advantage, using the fiery substance to improve their attacks. Judas thought hard... there had to be something he could do... something that could put a stop to all this in the blink of an eye... he gasped loudly at the answer that came to him.

Heros had just defeated another demon that was about to attack from the skies. He punched the beast down into the flames, watching as it burned to a crisp. He looked over to his left, feeling a sudden surge of familiar power next to him. When he saw Judas flying at lightening speeds to him, he turned to run, but thought against it. He was a god now, and it was his duty to protect his Heaven and his people. He went into a defensive stance, waiting for the red-head to attack. Judas was out of breath when he stopped in front of Heros.

"Heros, tell me, what happened to your great-great grandfather?"

Heros looked at Judas as if he was crazy. "Why?"

"Just tell me. This could be the key to stopping what I have caused and saving Heaven... at least if my hunch is correct..."

"How can I trust you?!" Heros yelled out loud. "How can you expect me to just trust what you are saying?"

Judas flew a few inches closer to Heros, grabbing him in a hug. "Heros, I do know what I did to you is wrong, and I do not expect your forgiveness... but I will save this Heaven. I did not intend for Shin to get hurt... and seeing that my own followers hurt him so..." Judas tightened his grip on Heros. "I do not have much time Heros. I to will pay for my sins when the time comes, and this is why I need to know what happened to you grandfather!"

Heros clenched his fists and looked at Judas in the eyes. "My great-great grandfather... he died during a battle quite like this one. Contrary to everybody's belief, Lucifer was not the first to want to take over Heaven; there was one other who wanted it before it was even a place called Heaven, before it became a sanctuary for angels... He died and all they found was this sword..." Heros pointed to the Sword of the Ages. "We don't know how he died, but he wasn't there... he disappeared just like that and was declared dead. There was no real history in the archives... but my mother told me at least that much. Why?" Heros said looking back at Judas.

"Because I have just repented for my sins. Thank you Heros... I know you will make a fine God." For some odd reason as Judas flew away from him, Heros could not help but to cry. The tears fell from his face hard and heavy.

"Why? Why?" he asked, "why am I crying?"

Judas flew over to his friends, watching them as the kept the numerous demons at bay. He had already picked up the sword and he wanted to say a final goodbye to them all before he left. Judas landed, and smiled oddly to them all. Every one of them knew something was up, and Luca and Shin, realizing it first ran to him.

"What are you planning?" yelled Shin. Judas looked at him, but spoke to Luca first.

"Luca, I leave things in your hands." Judas turned to Shin now, and like before, he planted a deep and intimate kiss on his lips. "I love you Shin; I am sorry for the time we weren't able to spend together." Judas started to fly when Shin and the others yelled out for Judas. Was this a goodbye? Rei ran to Luca.

"Stop him! What is he doing?" Luca closed his eyes and turned away from his friend. "Luca!"

"Judas! Judas!" yelled Shin loudly.

Judas flew up into the air and he looked down at the picture he saw. He found destruction and sadness, and that was about to change. The Sword of the Ages had a peculiar power, it did, and that was that it was able to extract the evil from the vicinity should it be used in that manner, and restore things to their original state. He smiled at the thought of his fate. He was going to sacrifice himself to save his friends, and he could not want anything more. Luca was with his love, the others were safe, and Shin finally would be at peace knowing he would not be working for Lucifer's dream anymore. Judas smiled and watched as the sword glowed a bright white; it was reacting to the cleansing of evil Judas wanted to perform. Judas' thoughts went to Luca and Shiva knowing they would be safe. Shiva, though really adamant about hating Shin, did have enough good in his heart to survive the attack, and Luca had never been evil to begin with. The man had just been a loyal friend, doing whatever Judas had wished because that was his wish.

A small smile was visible on Judas' face just as he flew down with the sword pointed straight at the ground. This was it, he thought as he headed into the center of the demons and where all the destruction occurred. He closed his eyes as he fell closer and closer to land. The sword hit the dirt underneath him. For a second, nothing happened. All beings had turned their attention to the giant crater in the ground caused by a certain angel who was seen collapsed around the standing sword. Shin was the first one to try to run to Judas, but Goh had held him back.

"Let me go Goh! I need to go to him..."

"You can't..." said Goh, saddened by what he saw.

In moments, as the demons began to taunt and harass the fallen angel, the bright light returned. The light emanated from the sword; the light started pulsing. A couple of the closest demons started to growl in pain, and as the light moved farther and farther from the source, it grew, growing gradually larger the stronger it got. Pretty soon, the light from the sword had a reach all the way across to the ends of Heaven. All angels that had previously been in battles had stopped to see the fantastic light show. The demons were weakened, paralyzed by pain. They fell to the floor, dying and disappearing as the light quickened it tempo. The flames were extinguished in just the same ways. The fiery beast was quickly devoured by the strong lights, and soon after that feat everything was being reconstructed. Buildings and homes were repaired as if by magic. They watched in awe as the grass grew back on the barren land, the large apple trees and pear trees back in the fields surrounded by all other fruits. The vegetables and the brush and forest had all returned... it was as if none of what had occurred occurred at all...

The Goddess looked about her and lowered her head for a second. "Let us go," she said to her guard who was wondering what was going on. The demons had disappeared after a monstrous pain shot through them, and he was perfectly fine despite the injuries he was inflicted during the battle.

"Yes ma'am."

As the lights faltered, and their brightness dimmed, the angels surrounded the crater the sword had formed. Shin looked around, searching frantically for Judas' body. Goh let him. "Where is..."

"He is gone..." said Heros whose eyes were red due to the amount he had been crying.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Heros turned his head, containing his tears albeit terribly. "Shin..." he started, but his mother interrupted him.

"Judas did what he thought would be best for Heaven. The Sword of the Ages is a very particular weapon, and it seems that Judas was able to control its power... restoring Heaven back to its original state and even healing all those that had been injured and those who have died..."

"Control? How is it control if he died? And where is his body?" Everybody watched as Shin threw all formalities out of the door. He was disrespectfully talking back to the Goddess. Why did it matter what he did now? The Goddess looked at him and walked over to the Sword of the Ages. She picked up the sword and Heros watched with amazement. Even he couldn't carry it as easily as his mom did! She handed the weapon to her guard before she looked up at the sky.

"Shin, where do you think pure souls go when they have died?" The Goddess walked away from the group leaving them to their own accords.

It was a few minutes after that Shin had finally accepted what the Goddess had told him. Shin was going to be okay, Heros knew, all of them would be, because they were the Saint's Beasts. He watched as they split up and left Shin to himself (he had asked that he be left alone after they insisted to be beside him). He looked up at the setting sun, nodding his head as he made his was to the palace; things were going to change now that he knew what it took to rule over his angels.

-O-

Gai, when they finally got to Goh's room let out all the pent up emotion he had in his heart. "Goh... I was so..." He couldn't say it. He had been terrified of the fact that Judas and Goh were fighting each other. They were about equal, and he wouldn't have known who would come out the victor. Gai sniffled back his tears as Goh walked up to him and patted his head. Gai looked up at his own lover and frowned.

"Gai, remember what I said." Goh lowered his head and gave Gai a full on kiss. Goh became even bolder and pushed Gai onto the floor, pinning him and taking the passionate kiss to a whole new level for Gai. Gai struggled under Goh which meant he heeded air. "I thank you for coming back alive!" said Goh with a smile. Gai blushed a deep red and chased after Goh in the room. Goh caught him and pinned him down again. "I see you want some more..."

-O-

Rei and Luca had flown into the night sky, staying steady under the bright full moon. Luca had said nothing since they left the palace, and Rei had no idea how to comfort him. He loved Judas, Rei knew, but not the way he knew they loved each other; Rei knew Luca loved him with all of his heart. Rei went to Luca and held his hand.

"Luca, you heard the Goddess. Everything will be alright." Luca pulled Rei in closer to him and spoke deeply, softly.

"That is not why I am silent this night." Luca looked at Rei and with closed eyes pulled the man in for a kiss. Rei, surprised at first happily accepted the gesture of affection. When Luca had released the kiss, Rei smiled at him. He understood exactly what Luca was trying to portray, and since Luca was not a man of many words, his gesture was enough. Rei encircled his arms around the white angel and took the lead in taking another kiss. They flew higher into the sky, the moon witness to their moon night dance.

-X-

A/N: So finally after probably more than a year and a butt load of writer's block I finished this little story here! I apologize to my readers for the final chapter as it seems again, my style has changed. Thanks a bunches for reading and review if you so please. Also comments about if it seemed rushed or the ending... I never really have a solid base for many of my endings...


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